PLAY #4: Getting By






There are two men on stage, standing very close to one another, as if they were on a crowded bus.

ESTRAGON (to the other man): “Are you trying to get by?”

OREGON: “Yes.”

ESTRAGON: “What do you do to get by?”

OREGON:  “Nothing.  I ask you to move. ”

Estragon moves slightly

OREGON: “See, I’m getting by now!”

ESTRAGON: “What’s it like?”

OREGON:  “Getting by, you mean?”

ESTRAGON: “Yes.”

OREGON: “It feels much the same as before I got by.”

ESTRAGON: “Why bother then?”

OREGON:  “Oh I don’t know.  It’s another place to stand.  A new viewpoint.”

ESTRAGON:  “Maybe I’ll try getting by without you.”

OREGON: “Can you do that?  Well, I suppose it’ll be easier than before.”

ESTRAGON (moving slightly): “Yes, I’m getting by fine now.”